Search form

Kowanyama turtle monitoring begins

18 Jun 2015

The Kowanyama Rangers officially started their marine turtle monitoring program this week. In 2014, the ranger group received training and support from the Threatened Species Unit of the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and several rangers attended training at the famous Mon Repos Turtle Centre in early 2015.

This year will be the first full season of monitoring on the beaches between the South Mitchell River and Topsy Creek on beaches managed by the Kowanyama Aboriginal Land and Natural Resource Management Office.

All nests in their monitoring zone will be marked and monitored through to hatching to improve their understanding of how many turtles are nesting on Kowanyama beaches, how many hatchlings are emerging from the nests and whether there is any significant predation on nests by pigs or other animals.

In early 2015, the Kowanyama Rangers became members of the Western Cape Turtle Threat Abatement Alliance. This will provide the groups with increased opportunities to collaborate with other ranger groups in Western Cape York and contribute to our regional understanding of marine turtle nesting patterns.